Monthly Archives: October 2012

Who doesn’t love a comfy pillow or a pop of color? Decorative pillows are the easiest and most effective way to instantly transform a space with texture, colors or patterns. Inspired by an article from House Beautiful, here are five easy ways to use pillows on benches, chairs or sofas to add a little a professional designer touch to interiors.

1. Stick to one color, and focus on adding texture with decorative pillows.

2. Make pairs or alternative between solid color pillows and pattern pillows

3. Add variety with decorative pillows in different shapes and heights.

4. Pick a palette and create an eclectic collection of colors and patterns.

5. Express your personality or pay homage to one of your passions through your pillows.

From orange and purple wreaths to spooky yard props to glass jack-o-lanterns, we have tons of festive decor that will instantly turn your home into one of the best trick-or-treating stops on the block!

The beauty of our last minute Halloween decorations is that you don’t have to have tons of time or money, either. Our Halloween decorations are ready for display and require no assembly. On top of all that, we’ve marked much of our Halloween decorations down by 25 percent and some even 50 percent! Hurry and take advantage of these 25 percent and 50 percent discounts before it’s too late!

And don’t forget to stock up on treats to hand out to trick-or-treaters! If you are looking to get a little creative this Halloween (and avoid the temptation of leftover candy), here’s a great article from TLC Parentables with unique ideas for candy alternatives that kids will actually love!

No need to plan your entire Thanksgiving menu just yet. But if you want to plan early, now is the time to start thinking about your Thanksgiving tablescape. As we discussed in our recent post, Tips on How to Better Budget for the Holidays, planning holiday decor ahead of time helps prevent overspending and stressing!

With a beautiful Thanksgiving table setting, you can create the ideal atmosphere for giving thanks with family and friends. First, think about the look and feel you want your Thanksgiving table to have. For instance, do you want it to be rustic, casual, traditional or elegant? Next, think of creative ways to add warmth and decor that symbolizes bounty, thankfulness and joy.

To find additional ideas for meaningful Thanksgiving decor, be sure to check out our recent posts on fall and Thanksgiving traditions. Then, when you start shopping, make it easier on yourself by heading to Paul Michael Company, your all-in-one store for holiday home decor in Arkansas, Louisiana or Texas.

I think we can all agree that one of the most satisfying feelings is gathering around a toasty fire when it’s cold outside. To complement indoor fireplaces this fall with added ambiance, don’t forget to add some warm, seasonal decor on the mantle.

Incorporate some traditional symbols of the season, such as scarecrow, corn maize and cornucopias.

Via Hoosier Homemade

Old frames and pennant banners are versatile accessories that can be used to create unique vintage mantle displays; plus, you can leave these year round and simply add seasonal touches, such as painted pumpkins for fall.

Via Diamond in the Stuff

Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and create your own DIY decor such as wreaths and decorative letters using feathers, fabrics and even old window frames.

Via Tatertots & Jello

Of course, you can never go wrong with an all-natural autumn vignette of dried leaves, pine cones, wheat sheathes and acorns, especially when you use these items to create a wreath centerpiece.

Via Savvy Seasons

For ribbon, wreaths and any other craft supplies or decorative pieces you may need to achieve your own beautiful DIY holiday decor, stop in at one of the Paul Michael Company stores in Texas, Louisiana or Arkansas. Once you are done, snap a photo and share your mantle decor with us on the Paul Michael Co Facebook page.

Fallen leaves: The easiest item to find and use in fall decor is all around us. Fallen leaves add gorgeous colors and shapes to decorative autumn displays and they are the quintessential sign and symbol of the season.

Apples: One of the most popular fruits to use in fall décor, apples make simple and beautiful displays that remind us of the crisp cool weather and warm apple cider. Many people now use the apple-picking season as a way to enjoy the outdoors and quality time with family and friends this time of year. And since apples originally represented the sweetness of life, it’s a very appropriate way to enjoy spending time with family and friends.

Acorns: From that tiny odd-shaped nut grows a mighty oak. Oak trees once were thought to be the only tree that could frequently be hit by lightning and still survive. Some people believe a plethora of acorns indicates a year of power, fertility and survival.

Wheat Sheaves: A symbol for a successful harvest, wheat sheaves are indicative of bountiful blessings and bring a sense of security and well-being to your home. In ancient times a good harvest insured sustenance throughout the winter feeding both the body and the mind.

Maybe over the years some of your family traditions have been forgotten or perhaps you’ve started your own family and are looking for new ideas. Let this be the year that you start your own treasured family traditions by using beautiful and timeless décor from Paul Michael Company in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.

Don’t miss out on our annual Ladies’ Night on Thursday, October 18th from 5-9 p.m. at all of our locations, and it’s sure to be a good time! We began the party years ago as a way to say “thank you” to our customers, and have continued the tradition ever since. It’s an intimate, laid-back event just like a private party—one year we had more than 50 women singing “I Feel Like a Natural Woman”! The event will feature our amazing fall and Christmas decor, and include music, appetizers, cocktails, how-tos, sales, discounts and visiting artists, and each Paul Michael Company location is putting its own personalized twist on the party.

We can all think of several items that are traditionally used to decorate during the fall season and Thanksgiving, but what do we really know about them? In our last post we began to explore the origins of different harvest celebrations, and now we’d like to look into the symbolic meanings of some of the most widely practiced traditions in fall harvest and Thanksgiving decorating.

Cornucopia: Latin for “horn of plenty,” this traditional piece of decor comes from Greek mythology. After Zeus rewarded the goat goddess Amalthea by transforming her into a constellation, he took one of her horns and presented it to the King of Crete. The horn proved to be a magical horn that was filled with any food or drink that the King desired. It remained a symbol of abundance for the Greek and Romans

Turkey: Known as the bird of the harvest, the turkey plays an important role in White Mountain Apache mythology and ancient Mayan and Aztec tribes. The turkey is responsible for the beginning of agriculture life, as the myth goes that a turkey gave a young brother and sister seeds and taught them how to grow corn. The turkey was additionally revered by ancient North American tribes for the way it shared roosting and nesting space.

Pumpkins and squash: These fruits were believed to have been first cultivated in the ancient Americas along river banks long before corn. They were known to store well, which made them an important food to harvest before the winter season. Once maize was discovered, early farmers began growing squash with corn and beans, an ancient farming tradition that became known as the “Three Sisters.”

Stay tuned for our next post where will we uncover the meanings of other fall harvest symbols that are still used in fall and Thanksgiving decorations today. Carry on these fall harvest traditions with meaningful and beautiful decor from Paul Michael Company in Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.